Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 14 Nov 2001

Vol. 544 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Road Safety.

Mr. Gormley

I originally wanted to raise the issue of safety of cyclists, but that was unfortunately disallowed. However, my concern is chiefly for the cyclists in this city. As we know, there was a fatal accident recently and we are simply not investing enough money into safe cycling facilities in this city and other cities. Yesterday I received a reply from the Minister in which he said:

The Department has put together a manual entitled: "Provision of Cycle Facilities – National Manual for Urban Areas", which was circulated to all local authorities in March 1998. The manual is intended to assist local authorities to provide cycle facilities to a uniform and high standard. Ensuring the safety of cyclists was an important consideration in developing the manual, which drew on international practice, particularly from the Netherlands and the UK. The manual sets out comprehensive guidelines for the design and provision of cycle facilities, specifically addresses the need for continuity in relation to cycle facilities and shows examples where this can be achieved with particular reference to the question of continuity through junctions and at pinch points.

Any cyclist here knows this is theoretical. If the Minister was to get on his bicycle and go through this city he would find that this has not been properly addressed. There are some cycle ways, but on arrival in the city centre, particularly on the quays, it becomes extremely dangerous.

The following statistics highlight the problem. During the period 1996 to 2001, 75% of cycle fatalities, that is 15 out of the 20, inside the Dublin Corporation administrative area involved heavy goods vehicles. While the ultimate solution to this problem is to ban heavy goods vehicles in the city centre through the completion of the port tunnel, clearly we cannot wait that long. We have a very serious and dangerous situation.

We should make the following investments which would not cost much. We should have restrictions on the times of day that heavy goods vehicles can pass along the quays i.e. outside the rush hours of 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Most cyclists commute during these hours so fewer conflicts will arise. This may cause inconvenience to deliveries, but inconvenience is far preferable to further deaths of cyclists.

There should be restrictions on certain routes and manoeuvres. For example we should ban the left turn from Westmoreland Street to Aston Quay. We need a speed restriction of 20 miles per hour along the quays. It is disgraceful that the Department of the Environment and Local Government still has not brought in the required legislation to allow for 20 mile per hour zones. This needs to be done as a matter of urgency.

We need rigorous enforcement of existing traffic laws and the introduction of speed and red light cameras along the quays. We need technical measures including closed side protection along the side of heavy goods vehicles to prevent cyclists being sucked in under those vehicles. We know this has happened and has been the cause of many accidents. We need a continuous bus and cycle route from the city centre to Heuston Station and speedy implementation of the planned city centre network.

All of these things can and should be done. The Minister has done a great deal of talking but has not taken action. The United Kingdom has the best overall safety record. However, when compared to Holland, for cyclists killed per 1 million kms cycled the UK is four times worse than Holland. The key to Holland's cycling safety record is the critical mass of cyclists.

The Minister has promised huge national random breath testing. This did not happen. He has promised a penalty points system. This has still not happened. We have only 20 speed cameras in place; the UK has about 4,500. All of these things have been promised but nothing has been done. It is getting more dangerous to cycle in this country. I ask the Minister to invest the money and answer some of the points I have made.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. D. Wallace)

I thank Deputy Gormley for raising this matter. The achievement of higher levels of road safety has been and remains a high priority of this Government. Shortly after taking office work commenced on the first ever road safety strategy to be prepared by an Irish Government. The strategy, which was published in 1998, set quantified and clearly stated objectives for road safety. It also provides for a systematic and co-ordinated set of measures for preventing and reducing road accidents. It established quantified targets for achieving its objectives, the principle of which is to reduce road deaths and serious injuries each by at least 20% by 2002 relative to 1997. Priority is accorded by the strategy to actions targeted at speeding, alcohol, seat belt wearing and vulnerable road users. A timetable for key actions in these and other areas is also set out.

Implementation of the strategy is monitored by the high level group on road safety whose third progress report was published in July. This shows that real and worthwhile gains are being made in road safety within the framework of the Government strategy. The level of road deaths reduced by 12.1% between 1997 and 2000. Serious injuries decreased in the 1997 to 2000 period by almost 25%; this well exceeds the target of 20% for these injuries fixed for achievement by end 2002. These reductions should be considered in the context of the heavy increases in traffic volumes and vehicle numbers over the past four to five years. Provisional returns for this year show that in relation to the reduction in the number killed on our roads, the relatively positive trends over that period is being maintained.

Good progress has been made in extending low cost accident measures across the national road network with 268 schemes completed by end 2000. There has been intensified Garda enforcement activity including 224,000 on the spot fine notices for speeding to end 2000, 59,000 on the spot fines for not wearing seat belts to end 2000 and 10,433 instances of detection for drink driving to end 2000. Fixed speed cameras and mobile speed detection units have been introduced. A comprehensive public awareness and education campaign has been implemented.

Much has been achieved and is reflected in the lower road death and injury statistics. However, there is no such thing as an acceptable level of road fatalities and injuries. The road safety agencies and road users must continue to strive for a reduced level both of fatalities and serious injuries.

The priority accorded by this Government to road safety is also seen from the increased level of funding that has been provided to the road safety agencies.

In July of this year, the Minister made additional funding available to the Medical Bureau of Road Safety and the National Safety Council. Some £400,000 was made available to the Medical Bureau of Road Safety bringing Exchequer funding to the MBRS for 2001 to £1,395,000 – an increase of 13% on funding for 2000.

An additional £350,000 was made available to the National Safety Council for public awareness activities in the road and fire safety areas. This funding together with the additional £500,000 allocated in March of 2001 brought the total Exchequer allocation to the NSC for 2001 to £1,942,000 – an increase of 105% on the 2000 allocation.

In addition to Exchequer funding, the Irish Insurance Federation contributes to the National Safety Council's budget and funding is also received from sponsorship sources.

When the estimated expenditure by the National Roads Authority on road safety matters is taken into account – more than £14 million – the total amount of expenditure by the Exchequer on road safety agencies under the aegis of my Department is £17.8 million in 2001. This excludes expenditure by the Garda on the enforcement of road traffic law. Such expenditure is a matter for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

To conclude, it is clear that progress is being made towards the achievement of strategy goals, that all agencies are fully committed to the achievement of those goals and that adequate resources are being made available to support that progress.